What Do You Say?
by RachelVeela
Summary: Really, really sad. I was sick of writing happy, fluffy fics.


Disclaimer- I only own the plot. The song "What Do You Say?" is owned by Reba McEntire. The characters (except Lily and James, who are named after Harry's parents, and Janna and Luke, and all of Lily's friends) are owned by J.K Rowling.  
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What Do You Say?  
  
Harry Potter sat in his car at a red light with his 7 year old son, James. Harry was on his way home from picking up his son at Hermione's house. Hermione and Ron had had two children themselves, a girl (Janna) and a boy (Luke). Hermione was always eager to babysit James because Ron was always off doing something for the Ministry of Magic with Harry. And to Hermione, the more kids, the merrier!  
  
Harry was stuck at the red light, which seemed to take forever to change. He looked over at James, who seemed to be preoccupied with something else. Harry leaned to the right to see what James was so interested in, and saw a bookstore with "XXX" above the doors. Harry realized this was the store that his wife, Ginny, and Hermione bought all their Muggle romance novels.   
  
"Daddy?" James asked.  
  
"Yes, James?" Harry replied.   
  
"What are all those X's for?"  
  
"I couldn't tell you." Harry answered as the light turned green and they drove on.   
  
*Stuck at a red light outside an adult bookstore,  
His son said: "Daddy, what are all those X's for?"  
As the light turned green, he changed the subject fast.  
Started talking about football as they drove right past.  
  
So what do you say in a moment like this?  
When you can't find the words to tell him like it is.  
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way:  
Let's get out of here.  
Oh, what do you say?*  
  
"Ok, Mom I'm going out with Hailey, Janna, Sam, Dan and Nick." Lily called to her mum from the hallway.  
  
"Where are you going?" Ginny asked.  
  
"We're going to go to a party. I'll be home around 11, is that alright?" Lily answered.  
  
"But your curfew's not until 1!"  
  
"Oops! I forgot we changed it! Then I'll be here at 1, if not sooner."  
  
Ginny stopped washing the dished and dried her hands on a towel. "Phone number?"  
  
Lily grabbed a Post-it note and wrote "555-4796." "Thank you," Ginny said as Lily walked out the door.  
  
"Love you Mum!  
  
Two hours later, at 10, the phone rang and Ginny picked it up. "Hullo?"  
  
Lily was on the other line, in tears. "I need you to come pick me up." she said, choking on her words.  
  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
  
"They... They... They're drinking. Janna already left because Aunt Hermione wanted her home, otherwise I would of asked her for a ride because she doesn't drink."  
  
"Ok. You just wait there and I'll be there in 5 minutes." Ginny hung up the phone, grabbed the keys to the car and ran to the car.  
  
Lily was sitting on the front steps when Ginny pulled up. Lily got up, ran to her mother, had threw her arms around her. Ginny, shocked, hugged Lily back.  
  
*Seventeen years old, she was out with her friends.  
They started drinking at some party, til' she was three sheets to the wind.  
Her momma always told her she could call no matter what.  
She was crying on the front steps when her mom showed up.  
  
So what do you say in a moment like this?  
When you can't find the words to tell him like it is.  
Just bite your tongue and let your heart lead the way:  
Let's get out of here.  
Oh, what do you say?*  
  
They stood there, hugging for 10 minutes.  
  
*Sometimes you gotta listen to the silence.  
And give yourself a little time to think.*  
  
Harry watched, as the EKG machine beeped slower and slower. Ginny was on an IV bag. Needles were poking out of her arms. Harry could hear the pain in every one of Ginny's slow breaths. He put his arms on Lily's and James's shoulders.  
  
Ginny looked at Harry, holding on for her life. "I wanna go home." She took in one more breath, then the EKG machine went to a thin green line. Ginny's lively, warm, brown eyes closed. Lily burried her face in her father's shoulders and began to cry. James was just too young to understand what was going on. A single tear fell from Harry's green eye.  
  
*Her every breath is weaker than the last,  
And lately when she sleeps she talks about the past.  
Her husband knows she's tired of holding on.  
She looks at him and says: "I wanna go home."  
  
What do you say in a moment like this?  
When you can't find the words to tell it like it is.  
Just close your eyes and let your heart lead the way:  
Oh what do you say?*   
  
~It makes you think~ 


End file.
